The present invention was first described in Disclosure Document Number 455329 filed on Apr. 23, 1999. There are no previously filed, nor currently any co-pending applications, anywhere in the world.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for organizing pills and vitamins and, more particularly, to a stepped multi-chambered pill organizer and dispenser for holding pills in multiples of seven days.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the medical profession continues to break new grounds in disease prevention and control, a steady stream of new drugs and vitamins enter doctors"" offices, pharmacies and stores for consumption by patients worldwide. As our society becomes more and more sophisticated, the strife for health and longevity results in many of us relying on these modern remedies as a part of a daily maintenance regiment. It is becoming commonplace where one may be required to ingest several pills at several different times of the day, in many instances for the rest of that individual""s life. With the ever-increasing role that these medications and vitamins play in one""s life come several concerns. There is always the possibility that too much or too little of a prescription or vitamin is taken, that the wrong prescription or combination of prescriptions is taken, or that the prescription or vitamin is forgotten altogether. Complicating the matter is the question of what to do when one of these situations occurs. Keeping track of which medications have to be taken and when has become a major chore faced by millions. The development of the Pill Organizer will serve to alleviate these concerns.
In the related art, there exists many patents for devices which are designed to sort vitamins and pills and the like and to store and dispense them according to some chronological scheme. There exists devices which compute when to dispense medications via mechanical means or via computer logic, devices which have an alarm to signal when to take medications, as well as devices which enable the user to carry medications with them. The present invention is of the last type of inventions presenting a novel pill organizer and dispenser being portable in nature and providing storage and dispensing capability for dispensing pills three times a day for a period of two weeks at a time, 2 times a day for a period of 3 weeks, or once a day for forty two days.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved pill and vitamin dispenser.
It is another object of the present invention to eliminate over or under medication dosages.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve health.
It is another object of the present invention to facilitate the timely ingestion of medications.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a stepped configuration.
It is an advantage of the present invention handles multiple people or whole family.
It is an advantage of the present invention to increase safety.
It is an advantage of the present invention to allows multiple rows to be opened at once for filling.
It is a feature of the present invention to save time opening individual bottles.
It is a feature of the present invention to be transportable for trips or vacations.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, the Pill Organizer removes the need to manually keep track of medication dosages and schedules by providing a compartmentalized pill case that aids in the dispensing duties as well as providing a means to schedule medications and vitamins. The Pill Organizer is arranged in a stepped format to allow for multiple rows in a seven-column configuration to be opened at once. This aids in the filling and collating process by allowing for vitamins or medication that must be taken once a day or more to be loaded in all the appropriate drawers simultaneously. Depending on the frequency of dispensing, more than one person could use the invention at once, possibly up to six, though fewer or more are also possible. Medications or vitamins would be dispensed as needed on a daily or hourly basis. If medication is to be taken at different times daily, the pillbox will hold a variable number of days worth of medicine, depending upon the number of dosages and time intervals involved. The Pill Organizer is designed so that it is very easy to use. The user or caregiver simply fills the drawers with the appropriate dosages of medication or vitamins. As the time to take each dosage approaches, the user simply removes the entire drawer and removes all contents for consumption.